We are still no nearer to getting some answers from Mike Ashley than we were when he got here in 2007

Big questions and PR disasters have piled up since the Magpies’ controversial owner took charge over a decade ago. Chief Newcastle United writer LEE RYDER looks back at some of the milestone moments TOON CHIEF MAINTAINS MEDIA SILENCE

MIKE Ashley’s relationship with the local media has been non-existent since the day he walked through the door at St James’ Park.

Within days of Ashley arriving on Tyneside, a Toon insider made it quite clear from the offset: “Mike won’t be like Freddy Shepherd, he’s been ‘stitched up’ in the financial Press a few times and doesn’t like doing interviews.”

That’s why anybody who makes the clumsy claim that the Chronicle or any other local paper are “in Ashley’s pocket” couldn’t be further from the truth.

When the Chronicle backed Kevin Keegan over Ashley in 2008, it irked the Buckinghamshire businessman, but he never opted to give his side of the story.

Right at the start of Ashley’s stint in charge he did actually find himself in the Press box after a 2-0 win over Barnsley in the League Cup – but this was when the novelty of running a football club was very much in its infancy as he marauded down to the media area to shake hands with Malcolm Macdonald, a player the Sports Direct magnate had admired as a boy.

But he has never returned to the Press benches and each and every time a request to speak to Ashley has gone in, it has either landed on deaf ears or a swift “no thanks” has been pushed back.

Back in 2015, when Ashley spoke to Sky Sports before the must-win game against West Ham, the Toon owner walked through the interview area at St James’ Park.

I asked him: “You must be relieved? (that Newcastle had avoided the drop)”

Ashley answered: “Oh just a bit.” Ashley didn’t hang around long enough to do a proper interview, but his reaction was consistent with most of the Press pack’s attempts to get him to talk on the record.

It seems a long time ago since Ashley sat with fans in the away end or bought Geordie punters a beer in Blu Bambu in a black-and-white shirt.

However, while Ashley didn’t fancy doing interviews with the majority of the media, a communication system was set up.

In the early days, Chris Mort was handed the role of chairman and carried out frequent media sessions where he was open to any type of questions.

But Mort’s exit coincided with a chaotic series of decisions that took

Ashley up to the current decade.

Losing Mort was a bad move, and by the time Ashley replaced him with former London casino chief Derek Llambias, a prickly relationship with Kevin Keegan and the board had started to develop.

Having won fans over by appointing Keegan to replace the unpopular Sam Allardyce, the good work was quickly undone.

And so started the damage that has never been repaired between Ashley and Newcastle’s fanbase.

In a rare statement, released shortly after Keegan quit, Ashley said: “I am not stupid and have listened to the fans.

“I have really loved taking my kids to the games, being next to them and all the fans.

“But I am now a dad who can’t take his kids to a football game on a Saturday because I am advised that we would be assaulted. “Therefore, I am no longer prepared to subsidise Newcastle United.”

More than 11 years on and Ashley is still here. The big question is: Why?

Those close to him continue to argue that the club has been for sale for most of that time, but none of the parties that have expressed an interest have been able to stump up his asking price or shown proof they will be able to complete all of the payments.

For now, Newcastle remains a platform for Ashley to draw global attention to Sports Direct as long as he’s in charge.

As we creep towards a new decade with 2020 soon to be upon us, it looks like Ashley will take the club into another chapter of its history.

Ashley has broken the transfer record at Newcastle with the signing of Joelinton and offered

Rafa Benitez the chance to be the highest paid manager in the club’s history last summer.

But there have also been some big mistakes in the last 10 years.

Trying to rename St James’ Park as the Sports Direct Arena back in 2011 was one of them.

It was a PR disaster that was never going to go down well on Tyneside, and whoever advised the Toon owner it would all be fine was

Mike Ashley’s renaming of St James’ Park did not go down well with fans

Ashley has broken the transfer record at Newcastle ... but there have also been some big mistakes in the last 10 years

out of touch.

The Chronicle refused to call the stadium anything but St James’ Park and a headline of “St James’ Park – and always will be” again upset the powers that be.

It was such an insensitive move by the club, and the sight of a workman using a crowbar to haul the letters off the wall left fans infuriated.

Questionable decisions continued to follow.

On the pitch, the club that used to qualify for Europe on a regular basis has only managed one top-five finish under Ashley and has become accustomed to fighting against relegation. Off it there have been too many cases of bad judgement to mention.